First look at Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 RC1
TG Daily takes a first look at Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 RC1

Microsoft quietly released the first update to its IE8 beta 2 to its closest partners last week. This new version is marked as “Release Candidate 1” and is expected to be the final IE8 pre-release update Microsoft intends to make available to the public sometime in the first quarter of 2009. TG Daily was able to take the browser for a first spin: We noticed that Microsoft made significant progress in some areas, but is standing still others. RC1, which is believed to be the first feature-complete version of the browser, will not match the JavaScript performance of all other major browsers.

First look at Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 RC1

PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series Review
Hardwarecore posted a review on the PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series

We have just published our review of what is probably the longest-named PC hardware product ever. What is it though?

It's basically the latest version of Creative's X-Fi Fatal1ty soundcard. The major difference between it and the original we reviewed 2 years ago is PCI-E connectivity, on-the-fly DTS and Dolby Digital encoding, and a few other things.

But how does a card perform when it was clearly designed without Vista and its no-hardware-accelerated-audio design? You might just be surprized

PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series Review



ASUS EEE PC 4G 701 Netbook Review
Bigbruin.com has posted a review on the ASUS EEE PC 4G 701 Netbook

The bottom line is that the entire series of ASUS EEE PC netbooks are pretty cool, fun, and easy to use; and the refurbished EEE PC 4G 701 netbook is no different. If you are looking for a low cost, light weight device to keep you connected when you are away from your main computer, this is a great option to consider.

ASUS EEE PC 4G 701 Netbook Review

Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower ATX case Review
TechSpot posted a review on the Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower ATX case

For the ultimate gaming machine the full tower ATX case has become the weapon of choice, though evidently not for its portability or value. Rather gamers with high-end systems are turning to the full tower ATX form factor simply so they can comfortably fit all their extreme hardware. With flagship GeForce and Radeon graphics cards now measuring over 9" long (23cm) typical mid-size cases are no longer sufficient.

The Cooler Master HAF 932 is a truly impressive looking gaming case without being over the top in anyway. The design is clean yet aggressive at the same time, which is not easy to accomplish. From the most recent full tower ATX cases we have seen this year - and we have pretty much seen them all - the HAF 932 is probably the coolest.

Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower ATX case Review

Lian Li EPS Silent Force 750W PSU Review
Driverheaven posted a review on the Lian Li EPS Silent Force 750W PSU

Lian Li unexpectedly released two series of high performance PSUs dubbed 'Maxima force' and 'Silent Force'. We are going to put the Silent Force S750GE 750W PSU to the test and see if Lian Li's latest products can live up to the legendary reputation the company has.

Lian Li EPS Silent Force 750W PSU Review

Xclio 1000 PC Case Review
DragonSteelMods.com posted a review on the Xclio 1000 PC Case

Today for review I've got a case that is huge, it's a full tower style case from our friends over at Xclio, but it's much more than that, it's got quite a few other features as well. The Xclio 1000 PC case features nine 120mm fans built in that can be changed to one of several different colors, along with the ability to control their speeds as well. The front has got three doors covering the drive bays, each door has its own fan along with individual controls for each one. Inside you'll find room enough for any system with room to spare for expansion, and there's a plethora of hard drive bays so you'll have room for terabytes of storage as well.

Xclio 1000 PC Case Review

Spire Edge laptop sleeve Review
DV Hardware has published a review of the Spire Edge laptop sleeve.

The Spire Edge on the other hand is just a light-weight sleeve, there's no room for anything else but your notebook. It's designed to travel light, you can take it under your arm but you can also use it to better protect your laptop in your backpack. The sleeve will protect your laptop from damage and will make sure it doesn't get dirty.

Spire Edge laptop sleeve Review

Foxconn A79A-S Motherboard Review
iXBT Labs has posted a review on the Foxconn A79A-S Motherboard

We like three main properties of this motherboard, which actually shape the attitude of hardcore users to the price tag: functionality, support for top CrossFire configurations, and a sufficient set of BIOS settings for overclocking.

Foxconn A79A-S Motherboard Review

EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey (PC) Review
Gaming Heaven posted a review on EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey for the PC

The Shadow Odyssey is EverQuest II's fifth expansion and it introduces a new storyline as well as bringing back instanced group Dungeons and areas derived from the original EverQuest.

EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey (PC) Review

ZOTAC NITRO VGA Overclocking Controller Review
Futurelooks checks out something that makes GPU overclocking easier

When it comes to overclocking your system, the video card tends to be the easiest component to tinker with. To overclock your CPU, you need to take into account the litany of components such an operation would affect. With a video card, as long as you have the right software it can be as easy as just incrementally bumping up the core and memory speed until the card reaches it’s limits of error-free functionality. This normally requires you to close whatever application you may be running in order to launch a separate program for this tweaking. ZOTAC has done away with this step with their NITRO VGA Overclocking Controller.

ZOTAC NITRO VGA Overclocking Controller Review

NZXT Whisper Review
XSReviews has reviewed the NZXT Whisper case

So you're looking to build a new computer or are upgrading your current system. The last thing on your list is probably the case. It really shouldn't be. If it is, you're usually left with a flimsy, cramp and ugly heap of metal which is supposedly a PC enclosure. You're kidding right? Well no, it's true and most of us can put our hands up and admit we've done this on more than the odd occasion. So how about a case which actually has an affect on your internal components and is a joy to work with? Will that step up a mark on your wish list of parts for a new rig? Well after reading this review on a case which offers silence, an aluminium chassis and modernity, you may just think twice. Introducing the NZXT Whisper...

NZXT Whisper Review

Sharp Aquos LC-52D65U Review
TechReviewSource.com posted a review on the Sharp Aquos LC-52D65U LCD TV

Sharp's latest 52-inch HD LCD TV, the Aquos LC-52D65U, is full of connection options and functionality that puts it above the rest and performs nicely in testing. It features 1080p HD resolution with a 52-inch screen and 5 HDMI connections and its low-price make it a TV to look at if you're in the market to purchase a new television soon.

Sharp Aquos LC-52D65U Review

Thermalright HR-03 GTX Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the Thermalright HR-03 GTX

It was nearly a year ago when we reviewed the HR-03 GT from Thermalright. At the time, the GT represented Thermalright's latest and greatest video card heatsink, made to cool the latest and greatest offerings from nVidia and ATI, namely the GeForce 8800/9800 G92's and the Radeon 3850/3870 RV670's. Then in June/July nVidia and ATI released new flagship cards based off the GT200 and RV770 cores. However, aside from some early water block releases there wouldn't be an aftermarket cooling option for the GTX for months to come. But Thermalright was not willing to let their loyal fans down, and based on customer demand they have developed the all-new HR-03 GTX cooler. This represents the first and only aftermarket air cooler for the GT200 series cards that I am aware of.

Thermalright HR-03 GTX Review

Diamond HD 4870 1GB CrossFire Video Card Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the Diamond HD 4870 1GB CrossFire Video Card

The Diamond HD 4870 graphics card is the ATI Radeon HD graphics card to have if you are playing the latest game titles on the market. With an unprecedented 256-bit memory interface and 1GB of GDDR5 memory on the card you have the power to run at nearly any resolution your little heart desires. Site back while we compare the Radeon HD 4870 1GB to the GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 and then throw in a second one to see how it does in CrossFire.

Diamond HD 4870 1GB CrossFire Video Card Review

M-Rock Zion 525 Camera Backpack Review
Futurelooks checks out something nice to hold your DSLR and Laptop
in

Outdoor photography and my adventurous tendencies have been slowly melding together and I have been in need of a good backpack that I could lug my camera gear in. The catch is that the backpack I am in need of should be designed specifically for camera gear as well as be able to handle hauling a computer laptop along too. The backpack also needs to be able to grow with me as I slowly collect new camera gear such as lenses, flashes and perhaps even a second camera body, but it also needs to be small enough not to hamper my travels. Is this too much to ask? Well, perhaps the Zion 525 camera backpack by M-Rock will satisfy all my needs.

M-Rock Zion 525 Camera Backpack Review

MSI GX720 & MSI GT735 Review
InsideHW.com has reviewed MSI GX720 & MSI GT735 gaming notebooks

MSI offered to all gamers with limited budget G-Series of notebooks (G is for gaming). While most of other manufacturers classified gaming notebooks as higher range notebooks emphasizing more than just performances, MSI was led by a different logic. Driven by desire to cover as much as possible of the market, MSI turned the page and offered models that definitely move boundaries in quality sense comparing to previous notebook models from the same manufacturer. Models GX720 and GT735 have almost identical chassis and we will first tell something about mutual elements and then we'll look at their distinctiveness.

MSI GX720 & MSI GT735 Review

TeknMotion PulseWave PC Gaming Headset Review
OCModShop posted a review on the TeknMotion PulseWave PC Gaming Headset

Seriously, PC gamers expect a lot from their audio, and frankly most of the headsets catered to gamers just don't deliver. Either they are ultra-expensive headphones geared towards the audio enthusiast, or barely mediocre communication headsets with underachieving positional sound. Many gaming headsets also lack in one critical area: the bass. Many PC gamers are playing First Person Shooters, which usually involve more explosions than a Michael Bay flick. Where's the Bass?

TeknMotion has your bass, with buttloads to spare. Their PulseWave headset is built for PC gamers primarially, as it sports positional 7.1 surround sound, bass vibration, dancing LED lights, and a removeable microphone... and it can be used with your MP3 player or audio system, too.

TeknMotion PulseWave PC Gaming Headset Review

EVGA X58 3X SLI Core i7 Motherboard Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the EVGA X58 3X SLI Core i7 Motherboard

Intel's recent launch of the Core i7 processor and its accompanying chipset platform, was met with plenty of buzz and splash, due not only to the product's architectural enhancements but also its performance gains. However, the new serially enabled Core i7 also brought with it fairly significant platform changes as well. Though some folks may be resistant to it, most times, change is good and Intel's new, more scalable QPI serial interface was long overdue. In fact, the Core i7 marks what could be considered one of the most significant changes in Intel's desktop processor architecture in many years. And though the new CPU requires a new processor socket and the new X58 Express chipset, end user migration to the new Core i7 desktop chip will be gradual at first but build momentum as the platform matures into 2009.

Of course, all of these changes mean lots of new product releases from Intel's "ecosystem partners", as they like to call them. Since our launch article took flight in November, a steady stream of Intel X58 chipset-based motherboards have been filing into our labs here at HotHardware and we're queueing them up for testing and evaluation. One of the first boards we got in was an offering from EVGA, aptly branded the X58 3X SLI. Though the board's part number is a bit cryptic (we tested an EVGA p/n: 132-BL-E758-A1 board), the model naming should tip you off that this motherboard not only supports AMD ATI multi-GPU CrossFireX graphics configurations but also NVIDIA SLI graphics setups including 3-way SLI...

EVGA X58 3X SLI Core i7 Motherboard Review

Swiftech MCW-NBMAX Review
PureOverclock posted a review on the Swiftech MCW-NBMAX water cooling block

When it comes to water cooling, Swiftech is one of the most popular brands out there, known for their high performance and high quality water blocks among liquid cooling enthusiasts everywhere. We look at their new MCW-NBMAX, a Northbridge chipset block for the ASUS Maximus II Formula and Rampage Extreme boards for today's review.

Swiftech MCW-NBMAX Review

G.Skill DDR3 Gold 6GB Triple Channel kit tested
The Guru of 3D tested the G.Skill DDR3 Gold 6GB Triple Channel kit

We take a 6GB DDR3 memory kit rated at 1600 MHz from the good people at G.Skill.

G.Skill is known not to be fighting with the uber-low latency timings based memory, making their product really fast but not enthusiast products.

The benefit you'll find back in the sales price though. Of course with the more expensive memory you'd achieve maybe a 2000 MHz clock frequency which the G.Skill kit won't do .. but as our tests will show, it wasn't at all afraid of 1866 MHz either though.

G.Skill DDR3 Gold 6GB Triple Channel kit tested

Noctua NH-C12P INTEL/AMD Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review
Tweaknews.net posted Noctua NH-C12P INTEL/AMD Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review

Performance wise, the NH-C12P is one of the best downdraft coolers available, and compares favorably with the better coolers on the market irrespective of design. In my book, the board cooling benefits of a downdraft cooler are well worth the minimal performance hit incurred. Opinions will vary on this point, and it will be up to the user to decide what's most desirable for a particular platform.

Noctua NH-C12P INTEL/AMD Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review

Intel's X25-E 32GB SSD Review
Bit-Tech published a review of Intel's X25-E 32GB SSD

While still very quick even with the write speeds halved, this certainly takes a lot away from the X25-E, especially in regards to the possibility of using it as a boot partition. While the first run through writing to the disk would be very quick indeed, reusing hard drive space nullifies the huge write speed performance advantage, making the X25-E somewhat of a disappointment, especially considering its £505 price tag.

The capacity itself is also a real sticking point -- these days 32GB is nothing in terms of storage, and was barely enough space to install Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit and Crysis. While we love the idea of a fast writing, fast reading drive for use as a boot drive, it needs to actually be able to fit more than the operating system onto it to make it a realistic option.

In comparison, the MLC based Intel X25-M doesn't suffer from the same re-write speed problems thanks to MLC using storing data using multiple states per cell, is more than twice the size at 80GB, costs £50 less, and has near identical read performance.

If you're in the market for a high end SSD we'd certainly still point you in the direction of the X25-M rather than the X25-E, although for the majority of you, a high speed 1TB drive will likely meet all your storage needs and will also be much more wallet friendly -- the excellent Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB can be had for as little as £73.

Although we love the idea of a fast writing, fast reading, all round speedy hard drive, the X25-E isn't quite there yet. While write speed post-format is impressive, re-write speeds are doubled and read speed is no better than the cheaper, larger mainstream version of the drive. While we're sure fast writing SSDs like the X25-E will find a place in highly specialised business setups, there's just no way such a small and ludicrously expensive drive should find a space in your home system, even if your budget can stretch to it.

Intel's X25-E 32GB SSD Review

Sapphire HD4870x2 Atomic Review
OCC has published a new review on the Sapphire HD4870x2 Atomic

The Sapphire Atomic HD4870x2 is not what you usually see in a high performance video card. This is a different animal. It still boasts all of the HD4870x2 features such a 1600 stream processors, two gigabytes of GDDR5 memory on a 2 x 256 bit bus, HDMI over DVI, second gen UVD and more. It is also equipped with a single slot cooling solution that incorporates a water pump/CPU block, single 120mm radiator and fan to exhaust the heat generated by the CPU and GPUs. A pretty neat package in and of itself. No more hair drier in the case to keep you awake at night.

Sapphire HD4870x2 Atomic Review